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1955 Map of Sour Lake

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Sour Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Sour Lake and its surrounding prairies dominate this mid-century landscape where the oil industry meets the coastal plains. The Sour Lake Dome and Nome Oil Field indicate the region's petroleum importance, marked by sprawling networks of Tank Farms and oil tanks. The settlement pattern is defined by the intersection of rail and road, with the Texas and New Orleans (Southern Pacific) and Missouri Pacific railroads connecting rural hubs like Grayburg and Nome.

Beyond the industrial sites, the map reveals a community structured around local landmarks such as Pine Ridge Ch, Henderson Sch, and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Numerous named grasslands, including Jones Prairie and Big Prairie, are carved out by a complex drainage system of bayous and gullies like Little Pine Island Bayou and Coon Marsh Gully. This survey preserves the exact footprint of the Old Spanish Trail and several family-named cemeteries just before the expansion of the modern Gulf Coast infrastructure.